Eureka! The Book of Inventing

by Bob Symes and Robin Bootle

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0747246440
• ISBN13: 9780747246442
• Release Date: July 1995
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

...full of useful advice & facinating ideas for the novice inventor!

The two authors, who apparently have impeccable track records from the exciting world of inventions & innovations, have done an marvellous job in producing this excellent piece of work. The subject of inventing has always fascinated me. I have even amassed a large collection of books & other resources on inventing. This is also partly due to my own training as a mechanical engineer. On inventions, I am one who is always keen to find out & study what goes inside the heads (i.e the thinking processes) of inventors & innovators. This book is very rich & comprehensively detailed in its contents, pertaining to all the 'what you need to know about inventing & inventions'. It is full of useful advice & fascinating ideas for the novice inventor. It teaches you to invent & innovate. In the introductory chapter 1, the authors posed this question: Can You be an Inventor." In their own words, "Yes, you can. Almost anyone can. Your talent may be hidden, but we are going to show you how to use it." In a nutshell, let me extract the essence of this book by using one of the authors (Bob Symes) Combined Rules of Invention: Rule 1: Identify the problem. Invent for tommorow. Rule 2: Meet a need. Don't be before your time. Rule 3: Keep on learning. Experience is never wasted. Rule 4: Check for originality. Join a network. Rule 5: Build a working model. Prove your invention works. Rule 6: Don't attack established inteest. Don't become a dead hero. Rule 7: Learn the patent system. Operate the system. Rule 8: Find a product champion. Get a manufacturer's backing. Rule 9: Sell yourself as well as the invention. Success depends on the inventor. Rule 10: Persevere. Persistence leads to success. These combined rules serve as practical guiding principles if you want to embark on a journey into inventions. The entire book goes about explaining, elaborating, substantiating & illustrating these ten combined rules, by using real-world case studies, in all the following chapters. Throughout the book, it is also packed with inspiring stories as real inventors struggled to get their work acknowledged by the world. The authors' writing is basically conversational style, so reading the book is quite a breeze. The last two chapters provide some valuable resources & contacts. I have personally adapted some of the inventing stuff here ( & of course, from elsewhere) in a hands-on course I have created & conducted for young kids, in the form of a 5-day camp, aptly called 'Science & The Art of Discovery'. My purpose was to teach young kids how to think scientifically, inventively & productively. In summing up, I like to rate this wonderful book a 5.